» Posts Tagged ‘lenses’
Remember the Digital Bolex? Despite the fact that most of the camera buzz has been around Blackmagic and Canon (with the RAW video hack of the 5D) for the past month or so, Joe and Elle have just kept on with bringing their vision for the Digital Bolex D16 to fruition. While the final design of the camera is not yet being manufactured, many of the pieces needed to make the camera function out of the box (like a custom-built PL mount and the Kish lenses for the turret) are now nearing completion in time for the release of the camera. Hit the jump to see what the fine folks at Digital Bolex have been up to for the past two months. More »
The professional/semi-professional lens market is getting very competitive very quickly — which is great for filmmakers who are now using cameras that are much sharper than DSLRs, and need lenses that can match that resolution, and also provide smooth iris and focus. Schneider has been making PL mount lenses for some time, but they’ve now decided to introduce a full-frame cinema lineup with interchangeable mounts to go head-to-head against similarly priced lenses from Canon and Zeiss. Check out the FreshDV video below with Ryan Avery from Schneider: More »
Micro 4/3 Metabones Speed Booster Optical Lens Adapter Delayed Until Later in 2013
Just a few months ago, a company many are familiar with for their smart Canon EF to Sony NEX adapters, Metabones, introduced a brand new adapter with an optical component that can make full-frame lenses faster, wider, and sharper by focusing them onto a smaller format like APS-C/Super 35mm. Metabones also announced they were going to be releasing a Micro 4/3 to Nikon, Leica R, Contax C/Y, Contarex, ALPA, and Rollei Speedbooster adapter. Originally set to be released in the first half of 2013, it looks like we’re going to have to wait a bit longer. More »
Filmmakers love fast lenses. It’s a scientific fact. However, we’ve always had to turn to a sizable kit of primes when we wanted any versatility in our selection of focal lengths due to the fact that zoom lenses are traditionally somewhat sluggish in terms of aperture. Not to mention that some of the faster zoom lenses out there are also variable aperture, which makes them virtually unusable for filmmaking purposes when they’re wide open. But don’t fret, filmmaking comrades, Sigma’s got our back. They recently announced a new addition to their “Art” lineup of lenses, the super speedy 18-35 f/1.8 wide angle zoom. More »
On the other side of the lens spectrum at NAB 2013 this year, Schneider has introduced some lenses for a little camera known as the iPhone. The iPro Lens System, released last year, has received an upgrade this year, adding 2 lenses and a system for the iPhone 5. Hit the jump for the details. More »
Richard Schleuning from Zeiss discusses at length their new lens options, including the Zeiss 28-80mm Compact Zoom, featuring full frame (24x36mm) coverage and interchangeable lens mounts. Hit the jump for FreshDV‘s coverage, and listen in to an interesting conversation about the future of sensor sizes: More »
The popular Tokina 11-16 F2.8 has now received the royal ‘cinema’ treatment with complete manual control, de-clicked aperture, pitched and calibrated to a T3. In addition, Tokina also introduces some new glass, get all the info directly from the floor at NAB 2013 from FreshDV: More »
It’s been an exciting week so far, with announcements to please and shock just about everyone. With camera technology changing every time we turn our backs, it’s hard to keep up — but quality glass is built to stay. Read on for the latest lens tech and a concise round-up of the new lenses that showed their faces at NAB 2013. More »
FreshDV gets the scoop as Mitch Gross shows off these new optical adapters, including adapters for B4 Mount lenses utilizing the new Universal Mount System. Watch the video below for details, and listen to discussion about the future of 4K imagery: More »
The days when Canon made its prized quality lenses separately for either its bizarre HDV psuedo-progressive imaging camcorders (remember those?) or its high-res digital stills cameras are gone — having bled into the present day. Now, its lenses have a significant stake in the production of 4K digital cinema, and its Cinema CN-E EF-mount line of compact prime lenses will be fully rounded out by a just-announced 35mm prime, due out before the close of the year (that makes six lenses now: 14, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135). Furthering the same professional motion picture mission, Canon has also announced free firmware/software upgrades for automated functions such as Push Autofocus, as well as professional-grade ACES pipeline support for color management. Some updates apply to different cameras than others, so check below for more details. More »
Various lens manufacturers are finally responding to the need for cinema-quality glass at an affordable price and in multiple lens mounts. Schneider already makes some Super 35mm primes, the Cine-Xenars, but they are coming out with a completely new product line called the Xenon FF Primes. As the name would suggest, these T2.1 lenses will cover a 36mm x 24mm full frame sensor — that’s right 5D users, that’s you, but that also means that a S35 sensor would be utilizing the sweet spot of each lens. Get the skinny after the jump.
Sick of lens flares yet? Well apparently people are still catching up, and small companies like Dog Schidt Optiks seem to be able to continue to find a market for themselves. If the name doesn’t do it for you, maybe the lenses will. Dog Schidt is a small company out of England making niche lenses aimed towards photographers and video shooters who want to add some unique character to their images. Boasting sharpness, interesting lens artifacts, and a working process that promises “no two lenses are the same,” jump through for a video and more info: More »
It may be a few months away from getting into the hands of us regular folks, but the Micro 4/3 mount version of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera has gotten plenty of work in a number of real-world situations thanks to John Brawley. While he’s been testing plenty of PL mount lenses on the camera (we’ve got some brand new footage below), he’s also been trying out of all of the manual MFT lenses that are currently out there, including those from Voightlander, and a brand new lens from SLR Magic, the new T/0.95 lens, which just may be a perfect go-to option for the MFT BMCC. More »
There are now more options than ever for good professionally built lenses, and many of them are exceptionally fast. None of them are perfect at their widest aperture (well, a few come as close as possible), but there are times when you just need that extra stop or two of light, even if you might normally be shooting more closed down. SALT, the Southland Alternative Lens Test, is conducted by a group of professionals who test a wide range of lenses against each other in difficult situations, trying to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each set of lenses. The most recent test, WFO, is specifically designed to push lenses like Master Primes, Zeiss Super Speeds, and Canon Cine lenses at their widest aperture to see how well they perform. Check out the test below. More »
The Kish Optics lenses for the Digital Bolex D16 were unveiled not too long ago, and they are designed to be as inexpensive and sharp as possible for the new camera. The way the team is accomplishing that feat is by making them fixed focal length and fixed f-stop lenses (10mm, 18mm, and 38mm f/4). So while you won’t have as much flexibility as with your DSLR lens, they should be sharper for less money. Jared Abrams at Wide Open Camera got his hands on the lenses, and was actually able to test them on a GH3 — even though the Micro 4/3 imager is a bit larger than the Super 16mm size they were designed for. More »
Blackmagic Cinema Camera, RED EPIC, and Arri Alexa RAW Camera Test Part 1: IR Pollution
If you’ve been using a newer large sensor digital cinema camera, you may have noticed that your image takes on more reddish tones when using increased neutral density filtration. This is related to the way many of these ND filters block visible light, but let in more infrared light which can pollute the image. We’ve seen a few examples showing what IR pollution can do, and today, we have a video comparing RAW cameras, specifically the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Arri Alexa, and RED EPIC, and how each of them handles black cloth when using IR cut filters of different strengths along with increased ND filtration.
This is a guest post by Cinematographer Ryan E. Walters. More »
It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s not. For a limited time, you can get Canon and Nikon lenses from B&H Photo Video at record-breakingly low prices. It may be a bit soon to call it the ‘sale of the century,’ but B&H is now offering up to $350 in savings on Nikon lenses, and as much as $300-$400 in savings on Canon lenses and flashes due to manufacturer-mandated discounts. So what are you waiting for? Read on for the links below. More »
When considering lens options for purchase or rental, certain criteria may stand out to you more than others. This depends on what you shoot most often, or what a project demands. Perhaps as a run-and-gun doc shooter, you simply need the extra stop you get with one 85mm lens for the same price as another that doesn’t vignette as badly. Or you gave up a contrast performance you really preferred in favor of the IS lens of greater overall value. But what if money were no object, and focal length and speed were matched? An aspect you’d find yourself evaluating closely is the way each handles its bokeh, or de-focused areas of the image. DigitalRev’s latest Battle of the Bokeh is a comparison between Canon, Nikon, and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lenses in precisely this spirit — with some unexpected results. More »
What good is a camera without lenses, especially those designed specifically to take advantage of the format? Digital Bolex has settled on the final design for the body of their D16 camera, which has a Kodak Super 16mm-sized sensor, but they’ve been in development on some low-cost but extremely sharp lenses to go along with the body (designed by Kish Optics). These lenses are probably unlike anything you’ve ever used before, as they are fixed focal length and fixed aperture lenses. Prime lenses with one aperture setting, you say? Absolutely, and they’ve also got a pretty ingenious way of focusing these lenses that will have you running and gunning in no time. More »
For much of its recent history, Leica has been introducing high-end photography gear (with high prices to match). Just a few years ago, however, the company decided to get into the cinema lens game with a brand new set of PL-mount primes designed to go head-to-head with the best cine glass out there — like the Zeiss Master Primes. Those lenses, the Summilux-C primes, are in high demand, and you’ve got quite a long waiting list to get them if you’re a rental house. They aren’t for every budget though, even as a rental, however, because they retail for well over $20,000 per lens. We’ve got word now that they are working on a less expensive set, but since we’re dealing with Leica here, how much cheaper will they actually be? More »
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